Desert Strike
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf is a shoot 'em up video game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1992 for the Sega Genesis. The game was released on several other formats such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, including a much upgraded version for the Amiga home computer. The game was inspired by the Gulf War and depicts a conflict between an insane Middle Eastern dictator, General Kilbaba, and the United States. The player controls an Apache helicopter and attempts to destroy enemy weapons and installations, rescue hostages and capture enemy personnel, while managing supplies of fuel and ammunition.
Summary from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA, read 5 September 2026.
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- Released
- 1992
- Developer
- Electronic Arts
- Platforms
- 2 systems
- Critics
- Not scored
- Steam Deck
- Unknown
- Download
- Not stated
The record
| First released | 1 February 1992 |
|---|---|
| Developer | Electronic Arts |
| Publisher | Electronic Arts |
| Platforms | Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy |
| Genres | First-Person Shooter |
Source. Catalogue facts from Wikidata Q1200598, seeded 30 August 2026.
How long is Desert Strike? How long to beat it
Total play time for Desert Strike is about 6.6 hours to do everything, and around 4.5 hours to reach the end of the main story. These are player-submitted times from HowLongToBeat, not our own, shown with the number of players behind each.
| How you play | Hours | Players logged |
|---|---|---|
| Just the main story: straight through the critical path | 4.5h | 22 |
| Main + the extras: story plus the side content most people do | 6.5h | 10 |
| Completionist: everything: 100% the game | 6.6h | 6 |
Source: HowLongToBeat community submissions, read 2026-10-19.
Where Desert Strike sits on the grid
The grid places every game in the catalogue on measured axes rather than on an opinion. This is where Desert Strike lands on each map it has the data for, with the share of the catalogue it beats on each axis.
- Year
- 47ahead of 5% of the catalogue
- Reach
- 19ahead of 66% of the catalogue
Percentiles are against the games that carry a reading on that axis, not the whole catalogue: counting a game with no figure as a zero would flatter everything that has one. How the grid works.
What readers say about Desert Strike
Reviews written by people who have played it. These are separate from the GamingPickz Score and are never averaged into it: that score comes from thousands of Steam reviews with a sample-size correction, and a handful of unverified ratings would distort it rather than improve it.
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Where Desert Strike appears
The ranked lists and finder pages Desert Strike qualifies for, from its own genre and platform to what it takes to run.
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Common questions about Desert Strike
What platforms is Desert Strike on?
Desert Strike is available on Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy. It first released in 1992.
Who made Desert Strike?
Desert Strike was developed by Electronic Arts and published by Electronic Arts.
How long does it take to beat Desert Strike?
about 4.5 hours for the main story, 6.5 hours with the main extras, 6.6 hours to complete everything, from HowLongToBeat's player-submitted times. These are community medians, so your own run may be shorter or longer.